Fire Safety Laws that Small Business Owners Must Comply With

As a small business owner, it is your responsibility to provide a safe workplace for your employees. A safe and healthy workplace reduces injury or illness costs and increases productivity and boosts the morale of the employees. Keeping the workplace safe from threats such as fires is the first thing to do to achieve success. And when it comes to installing the right fire protection system in your building, you need to hire reliable fire extinguisher services that can save you from the hassles in the future. 

However, unfortunately, many business owners are not aware of fire and safety laws. Thus, they fail to follow them. Let’s see some of the most important fire safety laws you must comply with.

• Building fire exits: If your building catches fire, try to keep your employees and customers away from the building. The building must have at least two fire extinguishers that are not near each other. You can get these fire extinguishers installed at the door or the window so that it is easy to crawl to that place and use them. Exit routes from the buildings must be free from any obstacles. Finally, the workplace must have exit routes that have lighted exit signs on it.

• Include portable fire extinguishers: Use the fire extinguisher as per the type of hazards taking place. You can have a word with trustworthy and reputed fire extinguisher service and install the extinguishers as per their recommendations. Also, proper training on the use of fire extinguishers must be given to the employees. After the installation process, try to conduct their testing and checking frequently. Make sure that the manufacturer of the fire extinguishers has the inspection checklist before he begins the inspection.

• Plan emergency evacuation: There must be a written emergency exit plan in every office so that the employees know where the exit signs are and the emergency procedures. If your business has physically disabled employees, then the action plan must include the steps to be taken to promptly and safely evacuate those employees. It is essential to organize regular drills so that your employees don't panic when a fire mishap occurs.

Try to follow all these steps to keep yourself and your employees safe at work. Hire fire extinguisher services for installation, regular maintenance, and even inspections to save your business from a huge loss. If you don't follow fire safety practices at work, then you are putting the life of the individuals at risk, and you are liable for it. 

Fire extinguisher: A walk-through regular maintenance

In some cases, fire mishaps take place even if commercial buildings have fire protection systems. Know why? This is because property owners install fire protection systems, but fail to maintain and inspect them regularly. Hence, to ensure your fire safety systems work properly during a fire emergency, regular maintenance and inspection of these systems is crucial.

Being a first line of defense in a fire incident, whether commercial or residential building, installing fire extinguishers is important. Not only this, regular maintenance and inspection of fire extinguishers is also must to ensure they are working properly. In fact, it is mandated by the fire safety codes and standards to have a properly working fire extinguishers. To get your fire extinguishers regularly maintained and inspected, you must hire the best fire extinguisher service provider in your area.

To know more about fire extinguisher maintenance keep reading!

If you’ve no idea about fire extinguisher maintenance, here is what you should know.

Keep a track on your fire extinguisher inspection dates - If you notice a fire extinguisher, it comes with tags that indicate the dates when your fire extinguisher was inspected and the dates its next inspection. Hence, by noticing these tags, you can know about the maintenance of your fire extinguishers.

Seek assistance from the professionals - Fire extinguishers are not that easy as they seem. Hence, it is always advisable to consider regular inspections of your fire extinguishers. When it comes to professionals, they know what to look for while performing inspections on fire extinguishers. With annual inspections by professionals, you can determine the signs of damage or any underlying issue that is rendering your fire extinguishers inoperable. However, it is important for property owners to monitor fire extinguishers to ensure they are inspected regularly and have enough chemical or powder.

In-depth inspections - Apart from annual inspections, your fire extinguisher also needs in-depth inspection every six years and twelve years, also known as a hydro test. In six-year inspection, your professional will first empty the fire extinguisher and then refill and pressurize it.

On the other hand, during twelve years inspection or the hydro test, technician will empty and fill the fire extinguisher with pressurized water. In this inspection, you find out any leaks or corrosion.

In closing

If you don’t want to experience loss of your commercial property and lives of your customers, clients and employees, installing fire extinguishers is crucial. However, you also need to make sure they are regularly maintained and inspected by professionals so that the fire extinguishers work properly in the event of fire break out.

Why Do Your Employees Need To Be Trained In Operating Fire Extinguishers?

It is a general belief that after installing fire extinguishers, a building becomes fire-proof. However, just installing fire extinguishers is not enough. You need people who are able trained to use them. 

It is very important that occupants of a building undergo the training at the fire extinguisher service.  An effective training program will include so much more than just the basics of turning on the extinguisher. 

It teaches the employees or the trainees how to identify the sources of fire, understand the type of fire and know how to deal with it.

What does fire extinguisher training program include?

The general fire extinguisher training programs include:

1. Basic fire risks
   It is very important to know the basic structure of the building. The main objective of training the employees is to be able to understand the risk that the fire poses. The training involves knowing the places where fire can originate from. This will include the kitchen area, sources of electronic or heating. The training is structured to make the trainees realize the depth and risk that they will face in an emergency.
   
   The fire assessment risks in the building should be done at least once a month. The trainees should know the key risks they will face inside the building. Once the training is done, the fire safety audit needs to be done.

2. Types of fire and corresponding fire extinguishers
   During the training, the trainees are taught different types of fire and the extinguishers that will stop them. A wrong fire extinguisher can actually exacerbate the strength of fire. The basic classes of fire are:
   
   
1. Ordinary fire (wood, paper, cloth)
2. Flammable liquids (Alcohol and gasoline)
3. Combustible material (Titanium, magnesium and more)
4. Animal and vegetable oils
5. Electrical equipment
   
   

Fire extinguishers for the fires are:

• Class A extinguishers are for common fires
• Class B extinguishers are for fuel related fires
• Class E fire extinguishers combat for electrical fires
• Class F extinguishers are for oil or grease-related fires.

3. Locating the extinguishers
   The trainees are trained to look and locate the fire extinguishers during an emergency. It is very important to locate the extinguisher on time and use it to prevent the emergency. The employees are taught the skill to identify if the extinguisher is fit for the use and how should it be used.

4. Operating the extinguisher
   The employees are trained how to use, aim and stop the fire extinguisher. Normally, people have the tendency to panic during the event of the emergency. During the training, they are taught to overcome it and have the confidence to be strong and clear-headed in case of the emergency.

Thinking about getting occupants of your building training? Try FireServ. They are the leading fire safety equipment company from last 18 years. Next time instead if searching for fire extinguisher service near me, simply visit Fireserv.